February 3, 2014 at 2:10 pm

Vinyl records were the predominantly popular music format from 1950’s to 1990’s. With the rise of digital technology in the 1990’s the Compact Disc overtook vinyl, as the mainstream format of delivering music. As the Internet has become more widely used there has been a huge shift from the sale of CD’s to digital downloads with a corresponding decline in Compact Disc sales. However within the current musical landscape it has been highlighted that there has been a resurgence in vinyl sales over the last 10 years. Statistics have shown that record shops account 50% of all record sales, with sales of vinyl reaching its highest level since 1991. These sales, produced by independent labels, only constitute a 3% market share in the UK, but if they are compared to the 50% decrease in overall music sales, vinyl can be seen as format that is rising in popularity.
These figures only represent the first hand sales of records, the second hand market has it’s own space. Crate diggin’ a term derived from old skool hip hop describes a past time of individuals who spend hours “digging” through crates old records at shops and fairs that they can add to their extensive collections.
This project explores the current landscape that surrounds vinyl by looking at record shops, collectors, and the individuals, whose lives revolve around vinyl records.